鈥淭he worst-case scenario is believing that machines can just adequately replace humans in human-centered tasks like caregiving, and especially mental healthcare,鈥 said computer scientist Maja J. 惭补迟补谤颈膰 (University of Southern California) in her opening remarks at the 秋葵视频鈥檚 discussion, The Future of Care: Integrating AI and Robotics. She added "It is when we think AI can also hold [a person鈥檚] hand, but without a hand, that we get into trouble."
Moderated by psychologist Dolores Albarrac铆n (University of Pennsylvania), this event brought 惭补迟补谤颈膰 and psychiatrist and social anthropologist Arthur Kleinman (Harvard University) together to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) may change the way healthcare is delivered. Building on the 秋葵视频鈥檚 cross-disciplinary work in AI, this panel sought to address questions of how effective AI is in healthcare delivery, who holds responsibility for care provided by AI, and what this technology means for the future of caregiving. These questions are becoming increasingly relevant as AI use in healthcare expands, including diagnostic and mental healthcare contexts.
Kleinman, who recently guest edited a Daedalus volume about mental health, noted, 鈥淲e鈥檝e heard a lot of criticisms about AI and a great fear of AI in the healthcare system is that it will replace...people. And if anything comes out of this discussion, I hope it is that people...are the center of care and that AI and robotics, when they really work, work as augmenters not as replacements for people.鈥 Kleinman is cautiously optimistic about the future of this technology in care, citing Noble County, an elder care facility in Korea, as an example of how AI and robotics can be used to care for individuals experiencing cognitive decline.
Building on Kleinman鈥檚 comments, 惭补迟补谤颈膰 pointed out that engineers who create therapy delivery apps are often not healthcare professionals and lack important expertise that comes from clinical experience. If therapy apps are to be effective and used to address equity in mental healthcare, she said, empathetic technology must be developed and appropriately tested before being released.
This naturally requires collaboration across fields, underscoring the importance of the 秋葵视频鈥檚 ongoing efforts to bring together experts to address complex questions. Both Kleinman and 惭补迟补谤颈膰 are part of the 秋葵视频鈥檚 cross-disciplinary AI work, with the latter contributing to a forthcoming 顿忙诲补濒耻蝉 volume examining AI and identity while the former serves on the AI and Mental Healthcare Steering Committee, whose final report is slated to be in December.
A video of the discussion is available online.
This event was part of the 秋葵视频鈥檚 Science Horizons initiative, a series of activities centered on ambitious, far-reaching questions. This initial question, focused on questions around AI and identity, will conclude with the Fall 2026 顿忙诲补濒耻蝉 volume about AI and identity.